[Xastir-dev] a readable version of the latest official APRS spec?

[Tapio Sokura]

Tom Russo wrote:
> I think the prevalence of old-style non-fancy TNCs are exactly what Bob's 
> trying to deal with using his "new n-N paradigm hoops" --- if every digi
> used good software that could always dupe-check even on RELAY and WIDE, or if 
> the APRS infrastructure were a real network with no explicit source routing, 
> there'd be no need.  But since most digis in most areas are just TNCs, the 
> hack is needed --- even then it's going to take for-freakin'-ever to get it 
> implemented.  Leaving RELAY and WIDE in the MYALIAS parameter of simple 

Yeah. I'm surprised that there seems to be about zero intelligent 
microcontroller-based digipeater platforms available that speak KISS to 
a regular TNC. The hardware to speak KISS to a TNC (and maybe to a host 
computer as well, so an igate can be run along with the digi and the 
digi would still continue working after the computer crashes) should not 
cost more than some tens of dollars. This way you could turn any 
KISS-capable TNC into an intelligent digipeater with little investment 
and you don't even have to throw old hardware away, which seems to be a 
big hurdle for some hams.

Of course someone has to program the intelligence into the digipeater, 
but that should not be a huge task with today's microcontrollers that 
have enough memory and don't have to be programmed in clumsy assembler. 
And you need the electrical design and someone to sell the kits, but it 
really should not be that hard. If a fraction of the effort spent into 
giving CPR to current KPC-3s etc were spent into designing a working 
system, the APRS network would be in a lot better shape. There are some 
projects like N1VG's upcoming TNC that will hopefully improve the 
situation, but it will not be enough alone; also those old KPC-3s and 
even dumber digipeater TNCs need to be upgraded or trashed for the 
network to really work.

Ugh, looks like I'm well off-topic here, maybe I should've sent this to 
aprssig instead..

   Tapio